U - 103mins - Animation/Comedy/Family - 10th August 2011
Well it has been a while since my last post so sorry about that- I'm sure you were just lost without my views on what you should be watching so I'm going to make up for it with a couple of reviews and new movie trailers thrown at you all in one day. First up are those blue critters they call "The Smurfs".
Despite me trying to be as neutral as possible before settling down to watch a film I found myself preparing for the long haul when I decided to watch The Smurfs. As a kid I never really got into them but did occasionally catch a TV show or two so wasn't flying completely into the unknown like some of the more recent comic book characters that I have reviewed.
Good Neighbours follows three people who live in the same apartment building in Montreal over the course of Winter in 1995. Spencer (Scott Speedman) is a wheelchair bound introvert who spends all of his time in his flat on the first floor; Victor (Jay Baruchel) who has recently moved to the area since returning from China; and finally Louise (Emily Hampshire), a waitress at a local restaurant who spends most of her time either socialising with her pet cats (Tia Maria and Mozart) or reading up on the local serial killer who is running riot near to where they live.
Each of them is flawed in their own unique way so much so that I found myself asking the question why are any of them friends at all? Only the nervous Victor seems to be capable of something resembling social skills despite the uncanny ability to put his foot in everything time and time again and yet on several occasions they all sit down to dinner together when it's extremely obvious that they would be somewhere else.
Strange one this. Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross) was born into a dysfunctional family. With his father (Alec Baldwin) an alcoholic and a mentally unstable mother (Deirdre- Annette Bening) living in a delusional world where her belief that she has what it takes to become the world's greatest poet is only surpassed by attempts to achieve this goal, it's unsurprising to find that Augusten's life has been impacted greatly from a young age.
As he grows into a teenager, Deirdre signs him away into the custody of her shrink, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox) an equally eccentric man who it seems treats his children as more of an experiment than an actual family. From here, instead of normality, Augusten has leapt from the proverbial frying pan into an immensely large fire. He befriends the two daughters, Hope (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood) as well as Neil (Joseph Fiennes) the most damaged of all of Finch's children.
If I'm honest, I'm not sure exactly what to make of this film. It seems intentionally set out to confuse the viewer but then deals with some serious topics amongst all of this. Each individual character is damaged and has serious character flaws that need to be addressed, some more than others. Although I have never read the book of the same name, I hear it sticks to the content closely and is all based on the real life events (I'm assuming more in part than in full) of Augusten. Despite this, because of its tendency to be so random and with so many things going on it is hard to ground yourself and actually believe that these are real people and not just extreme characters. This made it hard to relate with the characters.
U - 112mins - Animation/Adventure/Comedy - 22nd July 2011
Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy busy busy! Anyhoo, let me start by saying happy 25th birthday Pixar who have consistently brought us the best animated films around. Long may that continue as it looks set to with their new and original film Brave [trailer here]. Before we dive into Cars 2 though we have to remember this is a Pixar film and so we get our bonus short before the main event. This time around we have a Toy Story short set just after the end of the third film. There are going to be two groups of people when it comes to this short- those who can't get enough of Toy Story and so want even more and those who felt that Toy Story 3 brought the series to a fitting end and so why drag it out and stop producing new and original shorts? I think I fall into the second group so I will let the short do the talking and be prepared for another Toy Story short before the new muppets movie.
Cars 2 picks up several years after the first with Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) ruling the Piston Cup. This leads him to be invited to the first World Grand Prix where he can pit himself against the best of the rest and in particular Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro) the cocky Italian stallion F1 car. McQueen's crew led by Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) gather together and set out on the trip of a lifetime to Japan, Italy and England to fight for the right to be named the best in the world. While McQueen is off racing, Mater finds himself caught up in the secret world of government spies and espionage.
First off the graphics and world in which Pixar create is stunning with no little detail overlooked. Bringing some of the scenes into real world venues also helped to show off the talent of the people at Pixar. It was also interesting to see how cars go about your average human tasks such as flying on a plane and even going to the toilet with the phenomenal background detail dragging you into the film- plane pigeons were one of many nice touches. It sounds strange to say but at some points you almost forget you are watching cars.
Many people have been describing this as the female version of The Hangover. Those people however forgot to do one tiny thing- watch both films! Yes both films revolve around the preparation for a wedding and contain their fair share of low brow comedy but that is where the similarities end.
Bridesmaids follows Annie (Kristen Wiig), the maid of honour for her best friend Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. While she is preparing for the big day though, the rest of her life is falling apart around her. Her love life is in tatters and she is struggling to keep on top of the bills. All the while she has to set up the wedding, organise the bride and compete with the other eccentric bridesmaids to keep things on track.
The main thorn in her side comes from Helen (Rose Byrne), one of Lillian's new friends and bridesmaids who Annie feels is taking her friend away from her just when she needs her the most. Add to that the other colourful Bridesmaids of Megan (Melissa McCarthy), Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey) and Becca (Ellie Kemper) with the continual flow of jokes and situations and you get one decent comedy.
What I liked about Bridesmaids was the fact that it did not shy away from all the gruesome details just because the characters were female. Usually women in films are depicted more prim and proper so it was refreshing to have this change. Some might consider some of the scenes to go a little too far or continue for just a bit too long (one scene in particular did start to drag for me) but I felt overall it just about hit the nail on the head.
Wiig, along with her co-stars, impresses throughout the film showing us that she has a place as a comic actress and the addition of Chris O'Dowd as the love interest worked well.
If I were to pick fault with the movie then I would have to say that some of the characters didn't make me want to care that much about what happened to them (but then again this is primarily a comedy not a drama) especially the bride who I never felt had that was enjoying her wedding at any point. Also there were probably a few too many sub-plots and side stories that could have been shaved of to drag the time under 2 hours. Apart from that, I was pretty impressed.
This may be one set out for the females in the audience but it is very much a guys film as well. There is a bit of a romcom element but it takes a backseat to the main female character driven comedy. Some will find the jokes distasteful and not rate the movie because of this but I was chuckling away on more than one occasion. Guys, if your going to be dragged along to one 'chick flick' this year then make sure it's this one.
Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) has somehow found herself as a school teacher during her life when all she wants to do is grab a man with lots of money who can provide for her. With her former fiancé having worked out the truth and ditching her, Elizabeth has to return and teach for yet another school year much to her frustration. Not only does she have to teach the children but also has to keep the principal (John Michael Higgins) and goody two shoes teacher Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch) off her back while all the time fending off the gym teacher Russell's (Jason Segel) advances.
Things start to look up then when she discovers the new substitute teacher Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake) is sitting on a family fortune. But Elizabeth has competition from the ever perky/mentally unstable Amy so sets about getting money for a boob job that will be sure to win over Scott and his money. Confrontations get even more extreme when Elizabeth discovers there's a bonus for the teacher who achieves the best academic results.
Timberlake once again shows that he is more than apt in the role as a dorky geek with his transitions to the screen a lot more impressive than some other wanna be pop star actors out there. During the movie, there was a moment when I thought they were going to get him singing properly but luckily he knows how to rip on himself very well. I'm still not sure whether most of his laughs come from the fact that the audience knows he is Justin Timberlake and he is doing weird things or whether it is because of his character. I'm inclined to say the former but he still got the laughs.
The others did their jobs with nothing spectacular but no duds either. Special credit goes to Phyllis Smith who plays Lynn the introvert teacher who is always pushed around and Segal who's performance merited more screen time. It also wouldn't be a Diaz film if there wasn't some point at which she lost a few layers and despite being just shy of the big four O she sure knows how to pull off a car wash scene.
There was something with the soundtrack that I liked as well. It suited the mood and gave that scheming feeling which was apparent whenever Diaz or Punch were on screen.
Bad teacher impresses more than I thought it was going to with a combination of over the top characters that play off of each other well and several cringe worthy moments leading the way in the laughing stakes (I actually laughed quite a few times). Sure there were some jokes that didn't quite make the cut for me and the reverting to toilet humour cropped up a couple of times but these instances were few and far between. It's certainly better than the long list of mediocre comedies that have been shown so far this year (Hall Pass [my review], The Hangover Part II [my review], The Dilemma) and is certainly worth a watch.
15 - 101mins - Comedy/Crime/Drama - 5th April 1996
Heading back a few years this time to bring you an interesting little film I stumbled upon on the tele-box a few weeks back. To be honest, this is how I find most of the less well known films that I watch with some turning into real gems and others making me wish I had turned over after 5 minutes. I've always had a problem of having to see a film through to the end though no matter how terrible it is. (Not completely true as once even my obsession was cut short as the film was just that bad- problem is if you ever want to find out which one that was then I'm going to have to watch all of it, something I don't have the desire to do just yet).
Swimming With Sharks is set in the cut throat world of the film industry although this doesn't dictate the plot as much as you might think. It follows Guy (Frank Whaley) who is a clean-shaven enthusiastic new recruit into this unique world landing himself a job as the personal assistant to Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey) an expletive throwing repugnant studio executive whose addition to your CV opens every door imaginable but is counteracted so much by his demeanour that many would find it not worth the trouble.
Guy seems to have the determination to see it through helped by script writer and love interest Dawn (Michelle Forbes) but after working for the man for over a year, cracks begin to surface and Guy is finally pushed too far showing up at Buddy's home in the middle of the night intent on revenge. What plays out over the 100 minutes is a mixture between the past year of his life and the present unfolding situation.
This was George Huang's first (and it would seem only notable) foray into the world of writing and directing and credit must be given to him. The script is impressive with Whaley engrossing himself into the character topped only by Spacey's exceptional performance where he looks set to star in a similar, albeit toned down, role in the up and coming comedy Horrible Bosses next month. He not only excels in many of his 'throwing a tantrum' scenes but somehow brings sympathy and compassion to a character that we should not feel anything for. Even when being held hostage he emits a certain smug arrogance that would be misplaced in any other character apart from this one.
I felt conflicted given the knowledge at the beginning that Guy kidnaps his boss. It somewhat limits the sympathy you can show towards him regardless of finding out what Buddy did to drive him to such lengths.
I wouldn't class this as a comedy per say as this is not going to have you laughing a great deal but rather an extremely dark satire of life in Hollywood and the means required to keep your head above the water. It shows us that the calling of the bright lights can change a man with only a few have what is required to make it. Add all of this together to an unexpected ending and it makes for an interesting watch.
Yes there are moments where I felt things were not quite working and the relationship between Dawn and Guy lacked that believability factor but Swimming With Sharks certainly made the time fly and has enough to keep it fresh in the mind for a couple of days at the very least.
12A - 103mins - Comedy/Drama/Romance - 6th May 2011
As I've already mentioned before, living up to my stereotype, I'm not the biggest romcom fan your ever going to meet but there are some out there that I enjoy, some I can grit my teeth through and the rest I tend to avoid. I always find it's very hit and miss with what particular type your going to get from viewing the trailer alone so it was with a sense of hope that I'd chosen one of the better ones.
Something Borrowed follows Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) as she meets Dex (Colin Egglesfield) at university where they become best friends with feelings clearly developing but neither of them acting on said feelings. So when Rachel's best friend the selfish and obnoxious Darcy (Kate Hudson) shows up and asks Dex out, Rachel gives her blessing, Dex says yes and several years later they are engaged to be married.
This leaves Rachel distraught for letting Dex slip through her fingers and with the cowardly and wimpish Dex (I'm sure just what ladies look for in a man) still conflicted as to what to do next. After Rachel's birthday celebrations though, she and Dex end up sleeping together and supposed hilarity ensues as they try yet again ignore the chemistry between them and just let life run its course.
Thank god for Ethan (John Krasinski) Rachel's friend who gave a voice of reason to proceedings by at least attempting to beat some sense into the main characters who seemed to be oblivious to everything around them. I think my main fault with the movie was the storyline and the way we are supposed to feel for Rachel despite the fact that she didn't make a go of it with Dex, everything that happened to her was self inflicted and she has slept with her best friend's fiancé; and given that Darcy isn't a very nice person to say the least that either of them hung around with her in the first place.
The supporting cast outside the four main characters didn't add to the film in any way shape or form. With some movies you get the token celebrities who show up for 10 seconds, say a line and then leave again and this is how the rest of the cast felt to me for the entire movie. They were just written in for one line and then would disappear never to be seen or heard from again.
Apart from a few witty remarks here and a bit of slapstick, there was not much comedy in the film with the overall feel of it leaning more towards a drama with a bit of comedy rather than the other way around which I feel is the better mix for this genre. There was nothing wrong with the acting with Goodwin and Egglesfield doing their jobs and creating some chemistry but it was merely a minor consolation which can't cover up the rest of the issues highlighted.
As romcom's go this was one of the worse that I've seen so much so that even if your an avid fan of this type of movie you'll have a hard time getting any pleasure out of watching it. Time to forget about this and move onto another one.
Now for a guy who takes an immediate disliking to Russell Brand the prospect of watching him for nearly 2 hours did not fill my heart with joy especially when he was to be acting as a rich layabout. But I buckled on down and watched away hoping to be pleasantly surprised and I have to say, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be (still nothing special mind).
Arthur is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name and follows Arthur (Russell Brand) the a rick drunken playboy whose only worries in life seem to be how to top his last stunt or where his next lay is coming from. To help him through life Hobson (Helen Mirren) his nanny and Bitterman (Luis Guzmán) his chauffeur are there to look after him. Despite this help, he still gets into trouble at every turn which leads to the company in which he is the sole heir becoming nervous about the future.
So when his mother (Geraldine James) becomes sick of his attitude, she gives him an ultimatum that he can either marry Susan (Jennifer Garner) who would ease the shareholders concerns or be cut off from the family fortune and live out life in the real world. The only problem being he has finally met the girl of his dreams Naomi (Greta Gerwig) and so faces a dilemma.
I have only seen some of the original not all of it and in that respect, Brand seems to capture some of the charm and essence that Dudley Moore brought to the role but I still find it hard to relate or feel anything towards the main character. Are we supposed to feel sorry for the billionaire who finally has to make a decision and do something with his life? O boohoo!
First and foremost thought, it's a comedy so did it make me laugh? In general no but I have to say there were at least a few jokes that got me smirking but over the length of the film, which was too long in my opinion, were few and far between. Brand plays the drunk well (not that surprising) in a more toned down version of his usual characters which won me round- I'm still not a great fan but his performance was solid.
Arthur partly entertained and when not compared to the original gives the opportunity to zone out for a couple of hours and be mildly entertained. If there was another choice available then I would probably go for that but there are definitely worse comedies around than this one.
A bit of a breath of fresh air is this in a low budget and yet well produced comedy horror that gives Død Snø and the likes a run for their money. Tucker & Dale Vs Evil follows two redneck hillbillies- Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) who head into the woods in the Appellation Mountains so that they can drink some beers, do some fishing and fix up a worn down cabin to turn it into the holiday home of their dreams.
At the same time a group of preppy college kids are on a camping trip into the same woods also to have a good time. After a couple of run ins with the hillbillies, they assume that they must be your stereotypical inbred manic chainsaw wielding killers right out of Deliverance or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. So when one of the kids Allison (Katrina Bowden) is rescued from drowning by the hillbillies, prejudice and paranoia reign supreme with the others mistaking it as her being hauled away in a kidnapping attempt. So they embark on a mission to rescue her from her saviours with hilarious consequences.
Despite the premise of the movie being based on one long running joke of a massive misunderstanding, the story remains fresh and the scenes extremely funny for the majority. I'm not aware of any other movie that has done this type of role reversal with hillbillies in this type of scenario and managed to blend in the right amount of comedy with horror and gore. In fact across all the genres, it is not often that you get to see the perspective of the 'bad guys' (far from it in this film).
The best moments come from the writing as we follow the bickering between Tucker and Dale as a bromance emerges on screen. Both Tudyk (aka Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball) and Labine impress making the characters extremely likeable and charming so that by the end you really do care what happens to them. Bowden plays her part solidly as well and definitely brings some eye candy to the film!
Most of these types of films tend to lose their drama element but this keeps the anticipation and as I said, you end up really caring about what is going to happen to the characters. However, the only major fault that I can pick out is that despite all this, it does begin to fade as a spectacle in the last 15 minutes as they focus a bit too much on the back story and tying up loose ends when what they were doing up to that point was more than enough in my books.
It's usually hard to combine the right amount of comedy and horror without creating a somewhat tacky result so credit must go to the new guy on the block- director and co-writer Eli Craig. If you are looking for a unique comedy horror that has a chance of hitting cult status/topping Shaun of the Dead then you need look no further than this.
Hot off the heels of The Hangover, a massive summer success in 2008, The Hangover Part II reunites the wolfpack and the adventure begins all over again in another country and city.
This time around the setting is Thailand and Stu (Ed Helms) is the lucky groom to be. With the wedding taking place in Thailand to help Stu get along with his new relatives, the rest of the gang- Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) head out planning for a more relaxing version of their Las Vegas debauchery. This time however there is another party goer in the form of the brides 16 year old brother Teddy (Mason Lee).
Suffice to say the unthinkable happens and they wake up in the middle of Bangkok and each sporting a very impressive hangover again. Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) also returns and is given a more prominent role in this one with his extreme character providing some of the films more amusing moments.
The writers and director seem to have stuck to the same winning principals of the last film almost identically which you might consider to be a good thing. Yes it is more vulgar and over the top than the last one and they have tweaked it slightly but there is no real variation whatsoever from the original. The tiger is now a monkey, the broken tooth is now a tattoo, a character goes missing etc. This results in a very disappointing movie as not only are you getting the same jokes in the same order with the same characters but you can work out exactly what is going to happen next.
The original won us over due to it's outrageous and original scenarios, this just increases the outrageousness/nudity and thinks that's all that's required to create another success. Completely wrong. In fact most of the best moments come from the characters reminiscing about what they got up to in the first movie. If it wasn't for the nostalgia and likeability of the characters that was build up from the first film, I would have struggled to laugh more than once or twice.
Although I wasn't expecting it to be as good as the first one, I was still hoping for an entertaining movie that could have at least tried to break slightly from the template of the first. Alas it fails to achieve this and the result is a distinctly average film that's just been rehashed. I'd rather have just watched the first one again to be honest.
Next time I look at another comedy- Tucker & Dale Vs Evil [my review] which completely flips the hillbilly in the woods genre on its head. Check out the clip below to get you in the mood.
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PG - 100mins - Animation/Comedy/Family - 28th January 2011
It has been well over 10 years since the Walt Disney Animation Studios branch of Disney has had anything to shout home about as they have struggled to live up to their past successes (Lion King, Aladdin all the way back to Snow White in 1937) and compete with the modern animations of it's sister company Disney Pixar.
Tangled is based on the Brothers Grimm story of Rapunzel (the film's title was only changed from Rapunzel shortly prior to its release) who as traditional tales go was locked away in a tower with only her long flowing hair as a chance of rescue. As a baby, Princess Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is kidnapped by Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) from the palace for her magical healing powers that have been passed onto her. Locked away in a tall tower and believing she's Gothel's daughter, she longs only for one thing- to get out into the world and see the floating lights that appear every year on her birthday.
As luck would have it Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi), a thief, finds his way into her tower when hiding from the palace guard and Rapunzel fearing he is one of the evil monsters her mother has warned her about knocks him out. When he comes to she strikes up a deal that in exchange for him escorting her to see the lights and keep her safe, she will let him go and return his stolen loot.
The best thing about this film is the characters and their mannerisms. Gothel is vanity personified with snide remarks aimed at Rapunzel, Ryder the perfect amount of cockiness and all of the token extras play their part well. My two favourite though say absolutely nothing and easily steal the show. Both the chameleon (Rapunzel's best friend) and a guard's horse, Maximus are fantastic. Seeing a horse which acts more like a dog got me going but this was topped by the chameleon who seemed to have an expression that summed up the mood perfectly every time. A little legend!
In terms of graphics, they are some of the best I have seen in an animation with the detail in her hair in particular being most impressive. But then this should be expected as Tangled does now hold the record for most expensive animation and second most expensive film ever made coming in at a noteworthy £157.5 ($260) million.
As with all Disney, there was a couple of sing-a-longs thrown in for good measure and although they will not live long into the memory in the way that others have, (hakuna matata anyone?) they were still catchy and you will find yourself tapping along or humming a tune or two for a while after the movie has finished.
This movie got me laughing and even having watched it a second time I was still giggling away throughout. It works for both adults and children and the witty way in which it was written appealed to me greatly. I will happily be watching this again so it has most definitely worked its Disney magic on me. Disney might well be back!!!
And in related animation news, the new Tintin trailer has just been released and it's looking darn impressive to say the least. Want to see it? Click here. Next up I look at the less well known sci-fi drama/thriller Primer. So check it out below.
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18 - 96mins - Action/Comedy/Drama - 10th June 2011
Right from the off the premise of this movie appeals to me. I was happy with Kick-Ass and the slightly more realistic approach that they made their 'super' hero take and with Super this promise of an even more ordinary man coming off the streets to fight crime made me want to watch it as soon as possible.
Frank (Rainn Wilson) is just your ordinary bloke living an altogether uneventful life with few happy memories- 2 to be precise. He lives with his beautiful wife Sarah (Liv Tyler), a recovering drug addict, and works as a burger flipper in a diner. When Sarah relapses and leaves him for Jacques (Kevin Bacon), the local drug dealer, Frank is devastated and believes she was stolen from him.
A chance viewing of a religious hero The Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion) on TV implants the 'Good Vs. Evil' concept into his mind and before long Frank has an epiphany deciding that justice must be delivered, not only to Jacques but to all wrongdoers who happen to cross his path.Seeking inspiration for his new identity he travels to the local comic book store where he meets Libby (Ellen Page) who inadvertently helps him on his way. Whereas Batman had the gadgets, Spider-man had the web and Superman could do most anything, Frank's creation- The Crimson Bolt takes the best weapon award of all time with, that's right, a monkey wrench!!
The reality of the characters, much like the wrench, hits home on more than one occasion and for the people, me included, who initially compared it to Kick-Ass well you could not be much further from the mark. This film stands on its own and is a lot grittier giving the viewer an insight into the potential of the warped human psyche whilst toying with depression and other emotions too. This is the 'deHollywoodized' version and it would only take a small step for you to imagine this on your local news channel in the real world.
Although Wilson gives a very solid performance it is Page that I was more surprised and fascinated by. Having mostly featured as her 'Juno' type character in other works it was refreshing to see her in a slightly different role you will not have seen her do before bringing out an anxious and psychotic personality which becomes even more extreme after she dons her Boltie sidekick attire. (See the clip below for proof)
No super movie would be complete without a scene with POW and WHAM making an appearance on the screen at some point but where this is usually reserved for punches, The Crimson Bolt gets use out of them when wielding a shotgun. A nice touch if I do say so! Expect the humour to follow a similar vein right through until the end.
This is a superhero comedy but it delivers so much more on top. James Gunn really delivers (especially after Slither) and I will be keeping an interested eye on his next project. This will definitely be getting a second viewing from me and I'm already looking forward to it.
The Kids Are All Right is predominantly a drama first and a comedy second. It follows a lesbian couple Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) and their two children Joni (Mia Wasikowski) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson). Both of the kids were conceived with the aid of a sperm donor. When Joni turned 18 she has the right to find out who the donor is but is not interested. Her brother however is and convinces her to get in touch and they meet up with Paul played by Mark Ruffalo in order to feed their curiosity.
Paul, a down to earth relaxed man takes all of this in his stride and begins to bond with his children. This is all done without the mum's knowledge until Laser reveals that they have been to see him. This obviously affects them and with Jules and Nic being 2 very different characters the extent of this is proportional. Nic is a lot stricter and controlling in life so is very wary of Paul whilst Jules, although initially cautious is a lot more accepting. Paul's intrusion then sets up the rest of the plot.
The acting in this film is unsurprisingly good considering the cast involved but the film falls down with its content whereby the actors have to make the best of a script that does not live up to its potential. Several situations arise but it feels as if Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg the writers opt for the easy path and lead us away from the potentially juicy scenes only to leave us with slightly comical and less in depth replacements.
I was most disappointed with the ending which as with other scenes tries to wrap up proceedings and leaves the viewer with a sense of injustice that nothing more is going to be made of the plot. Whilst The Kids Are All Right is an acceptable film, it could have been so much more.
If you like your acting performances (with Wasikowski leading the line) and want an enjoyable plot that has a few moments to appreciate then go and see this otherwise it's probably not worth it. A more light-hearted through and through comedy approach to a similar story can be achieved by watching the film The Switch which involves a woman's best friend changing his sperm for the sperm donors whilst in a drunken state.
15 - 91mins - Adventure/Comedy/Drama - 23rd November 2007
The Darjeeling Limited is about 3 brothers Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) who have not seen each other since their father's funeral over a year ago. The death of their father has affected them all individually and along with other problems in their life has left them somewhat flawed and drugged up. Peter has girlfriend issues, Jack has father issues and Francis has family issues, he wants to be closer to his brothers and be a happy family and yet his demeanour drives them away.
The lack of seeing each other inspires Francis to bring them together so they can carry out a 'spiritual journey' across India on a train in order to rekindle their relationships with one another become closer and more brotherly. However this idea does not go completely to plan with much brotherly bickering and fighting, the involvement of some pepper spray and one of the brothers buying a highly poisonous snake which he then misplaces amongst some of the things to look forward to.
The brothers and their interactions and chemistry with each other is where this movie wins from my point of view. Despite showing hardly any emotion- they never seem sad or cry, rarely smile etc. they convey what they are feeling in different ways. Having only ever seen Wilson in the bumbling comic/romcom type role, I was impressed with him in this where he shows off his talents as the brother who needs to always be in control. Brody also impresses with Schwartzman, despite not quite being as good as the other brothers still performing admirably.
The shooting of some of the scenes in the train reminded me in principal of similar work in the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou whereby the camera moves alongside the train cutting between rooms as if the nearest wall to the camera did not exist (I've heard it called the dollhouse effect?). This similarity was explained when I discovered both movies were directed by the same man, Wes Anderson.
These types of shots could be achieved due to The Darjeeling Limited being filmed inside a moving train- Anderson rented a ten carriage train and locomotive engine, completely redecorated it and then ran it between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer on a live section of railway track. This unsurprisingly providing a great challenge for cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman as nothing could be fixed to the ceiling and filming equipment couldn't be more than a metre out of the windows. He does a fantastic job though which has to be highly commended.
This is not an 'in your face' comedy but is rather more sly, subtle and witty one which I preferred in this context. There are some great one liners that I particularly enjoyed. The characters make it what it is while dragging their emotional (and actual) baggage around with them for the whole of the movie. If you like Anderson's other movies then this will not disappoint either.
15 - 102mins - Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy - 13th April 2011
Now let me see if I can think of some appropriate words that would aptly sum up this movie (apart from 'it's a comedy') to those who know nothing about it... lude, rude, a bit of nude and most definitely crude! And yet there is something about it that will keep you watching right until the very end.
Brought to us by the guys behind Pineapple Express, Your Highness follows two brothers Thadeous (Danny McBride) and Fabious (James Franco) with their trusty man slave Courtney on a quest to save the recently rescued princess (Zooey Deschanel) who has been re-kidnapped by the evil warlock Leezar (Justin Theroux). Yup there are quite a lot of famous faces in this aren't there but that's not always the sign of a good movie.
McBride makes the character his own as a fumbling stoner of a man who would rather be at home in the castle than out questing with his much loved brother- something that makes him rather jealous. It was also good to see Natalie Portman (think I could just stop that sentence now... but I won't) in a different light as a comic actress where she put in an impressive performance as well.
I got the feeling that this movie may have been written by some 14 year old boys, not because the script was poor but just that the content was rather vulgar and filled with just a few (hundred) testosterone induced sexual references. Quite ironic really considering its ideal viewer, the 14 year old testosterone induced male teenager cannot even watch it due to the 15 rating. Oops! But it was not all about the ,ahem, clever and subtly worded jokes because the gore and blood also took centre stage during several parts of the movie. Impressive it was too with a good fight scene involving a 5 headed monster.
I really must emphasise the 'cringeworthyness' at some of the scenes and things that were being said where a cushion to hide behind to shield you from it may have been warranted. In the same respects though this is more of less what I expected from this movie that also gave me many laughs from beginning to end. It even reminded me in parts of Lord Of The Rings with the panoramic shots over the hills accompanied by dramatic music and similar characters, if you have a bit of an imagination that is.
I think you have to be in a certain frame of mind/have a certain kind of mind to fully appreciate this movie and luckily for me I was/do. It gets you laughing, cringing and there is a decent story in there well backed up with good CGI and music. It's better than it's directors predecessor, Pineapple Express but probably not one for those who are easily offended.
Next up I take a look at Into The Wild [my review] the true story of a man who gave his entire savings to charity and left behind his family to go and live in Alaska.
Farm
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U - 96mins - Animation/Adventure/Comedy - 8th April 2011
Rio is an animation from the same people that brought us Ice Age and so it has a fair amount to live up to. It follows the tale of a blue macaw, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) who is bird-napped as a chick and smuggled into the USA to be sold. During the move though, he falls from the back of the truck and is found by Linda (Leslie Mann) who takes him in and looks after him.
The years pass by until Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro), a extremely bird obsessed ornithologist pays them a visit and offers them a chance to come to Brazil as Blu is the last male of his species and the last female, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), resides in Rio. Blu (who cannot fly) has lived a sheltered, comfortable life with Linda and is all the more happy for it whereas Jewel is the stark contrast and longs to be free from the cage that restricts her as she has tasted freedom before. So when the two meet, the fun starts to happen.
First off, Blue is one happy bird with the animation and his characteristics reflecting that. You immediately like him and this feeling doesn't fade with time. In fact each character has their unique quirks which enables the comedy to flow seamlessly. I was never gulping for air but the jokes are well written and non-stop with the movie certainly having its moments.
Rio, the movie, brings alive the carnival nature and flamboyant mood that one normally associates with Rio, the city, by including a couple of musical numbers into the story. Unfortunately they are not up to the standard of Disney- they are not very catchy or memorable. It's more pop music and rap with Will.I.Am lending his talents to the vocals than the traditional song associated with animations. The background music however certainly get across the energy and vibrancy of Rio with plenty of samba flooding your ears from the off.
The visuals of Rio are impressive (though not quite as good as Rango) and during the flying scenes in particular the city and its surroundings are well captured with many of the iconic landmarks easy to spot. It probably helped that the director Carlos Saldanha was born and raised in the city and so was able capture the true feeling of the place that other directors would not have been able to.
Did this live up to Ice Age then? Very nearly and I wouldn't mind watching it again to see how it handles a second viewing.
12A - 121mins - Comedy/Drama/Romance - 28th January 2011
So I'd thought I'd spice things up again and opt for a good old fashioned romcom. It's your usual affair- guy meets girl, guy falls for girl, there are some ups and downs inbetween but eventually guy and girl get together. Now you are wondering why I've spoilt the ending for you? Well I haven't because there are two guys in this movie in a lovely romance triangle.
Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) plays our indecisive femme fatale with George (Paul Rudd) and Matty (Owen Wilson) the men doting after her. The movie compromises of 2 separate storylines that eventually merge. In one Lisa is a USA softball player who has just been dropped from the national team and Matty, her current boyfriend, is a major-league baseball star. He is a player both on and off the pitch and doesn't totally understand the workings of a relationship but is trying to for her.
In the other George, like Lisa is going through his own problems as he is being indited by the government and faces some serious charges if convicted and has also been dumped by his girlfriend. However due to a series of phone calls and chance encounters George keeps meeting Lisa which leads to the 2 men competing for her affection in their own unique ways.
George's father (acted by Jack Nicholson) and Annie, George's secretary (impressively portrayed by Kathryn Hahn) are the outlets from the romantic side of the story and bring with them some of the better moments in the movie from a comic point of view. It seems that this kind of role is starting to become Wilson's mainstay in the movies with the majority of his performances being based around the slightly error prone man (Hall Pass, You Me And Dupree). He never really impresses me and the chemistry is not there from the start unlike with Rudd who puts in a convincing performance with Witherspoon.
I felt that the plot surrounding this is slightly more in-depth than some of the other romcoms out there but by no means that complex that it becomes hard to follow. It just tended to be a bit more detailed than I was expecting before I sat down to watch it. This could be due to it's 2 hour length though which is quite a long time to invest in a romcom that does drag at points.
This isn't in the same league as the last movie where James L Brooks and Nicholson teamed up (As Good As It Gets) but if you feel slightly brain dead and want to waste a few hours then this might just do the trick. If there had been a bit more comedy then it might have faired slightly better.
U - 95mins - Animation/Comedy/Family - 1st April 2011
What with Easter fast approaching, there was bound to be a movie that tried to exploit this market just as there is every Christmas with the swathe of below average Santa Claus movies. Hop gave me some hope that it might rise above the average though as it was made by the same people that brought us Despicable Me (but then again they also gave us Alvin and the Chipmunks, twice and soon to be thrice!)
This movie has obviously set it's target market at the kids and so there is no shortage of lovable furry characters and simple smirks to be had at their bumbling about. This means the movie isn't going to make you think all that hard. It follows two main characters- a rabbit E.B. (damn that's original although I'm embarrassed to say it took me longer than it should to make that connection) voiced by Russell Brand and Fred O'Hare, James Marsden, (spot the next connection), a human, in both the animated and real worlds. Both have overbearing fathers who want something for them that they themselves do not.
Deciding that being the Easter bunny is not the life for him E.B. makes for the big lights of Hollywood to try and show off his skills as a drummer and prove his father wrong. There he runs into Fred and their relationship gets off to a slow start. E.B. is very much the protagonist causing problems all over the shop that Fred has to keep resolving which is where I think most of the laughs are expected to come from. Add to the mix the pink berets (a crack squad of ninja bunnies) and a couple of token celebrity experiences from the Hoff and Hefner and there is enough to keep the plot moving forward.
The animation holds up quite well and there are only a few times in the movie where you can sense that the animators just didn't quite make it work. I'm still not totally convinced by movies that put animated characters in the real world when the movie is not an action adventure or sci-fi but they are getting better at it with Paul being a good example of the tide starting to turn.
It was slightly disappointed that Hop leaned so heavily on the template that made Despicable Me a relative success. Despicable Me has the excitable yellow minions and Hop has just added feathers and in some cases another eye to give us the chick minions lead by Carlos (Hank Azaria). Although they provide some of the better comic moments they don't really have that same impact as the critters from Despicable Me.
Now don't get me wrong this isn't a bad movie, it's just that anything aimed so one dimensionally at children with no real overlay for adult jokes or anything other than 'aww look at the cute fluffy bunny' is not really going to get me going. If you've got young kids then this will be an ideal way to spend an hour and a half otherwise wait for it to hit the TV screens.
Next up is the romcom How Do You Know [my review]. Haven't really reviewed many in this genre yet so thought I'd add to it. As always, cast your eyes below for the trailer.
Finally a big thanks to all those who are reading my articles as this site just broke the 1000 visits barrier today!!! Cheers everyone!
Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @ FAbFilms
